Vacaville Police Department launches surveillance camera program

Residents and businesses with security cameras in Vacaville now have the chance to partner up with the police department.

The Vacaville Police Department is launching its own Citizen’s View program, a voluntary security camera registry for residents and businesses.

The department decided to launch the program because of the growing affordability of residential cameras, said Gretchen Ash, community outreach coordinator for the Vacaville Police Department.

“It’s the wave of the future,”Ash said.

Residents and business owners can register their information for free with the police department and can delete their registration at any time, according to a statement from the Vacaville Police Department.

“This is absolutely 100 percent voluntary,” Ash said.

Registrants will only be contacted if there is an incident in the vicinity of the camera, police stated. The department may then request footage from a period of time surrounding the incident.

“It’s definitely a tool for solving cases,” she said, adding that resident’s already helped out the department.

When police were investigating a stabbing in the Markham Heights neighborhood, they found a resident in the area who had a camera that was facing out, Ash said.

“We were able to get a description of a suspect’s vehicle that was fleeing the scene,” she said.

Ash recommends that residents do their research when buying a surveillance camera, and consider getting cameras with night vision.

For more information or to register for the program, visit www.cityofvacaville.com/index.aspx?page=871.